The Chronicles of a Girl in Space
by Ausari
Summary: Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff falls in one of the final battles of the Great War, but the gods aren't through with her life just yet. Sent back to her original timeline, but more than 100 years in the future, how will Tanya deal with her new reality where the entire galaxy is open to her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**JANUARY 18, COUNCIL ERA 2167, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF NEW STAVANGER, MINDOIR**

A slight fuzziness clouds my vision. As it clears I find myself staring into a spoonful of some cloudy soup. I slowly lower the spoon back into the bowl and attempt to take stock of my situation. The first thing I notice is how small I feel; my feet are swinging freely in the air and my fingers barely wrap around the spoons handle. Raising my head I find myself looking at a small group of children, eating peaceably while conversing in English, laughter flitting up among the rafters. Their faces are familiar, but when I try to bring up the names that match them I feel only a fogginess clouding my thoughts. Looking to the head of the table reveals an older nun smiling to one of the children seated next to her.

Continuing to take in more of my surroundings I start to notice oddities. The walls and tables are strangely futuristic, made out of a smooth material that could be some kind of metal or plastic, but there is no wood in sight. The door across the room doesn't have a handle; instead I see a strange orange square, seemingly made out of light, floating in front of it. Twisting to see behind me I can see windows lining the wall. The windows themselves don't seem to be made out of glass, but are instead some kind of forcefield that I can see barely shimmering if I focus on it. Looking outside I can see fields stretching out only broken up by a few unassuming single story buildings. These buildings are made of the same strange materials that surround me. A ship that is shaped like an elegant box defies gravity and floats off into the atmosphere on some strange blue thrusters. I can see people walking down the streets, waving at others driving what I can only assume is farm equipment through the fields. My sudden movement must have caught the attention of those around me as their voices have stopped.

"What's wrong Tania dear?" the old nun asks me.

_ Tania? Yes, I remember now, my name is Titania._ Turning back to face the front of the table I open my mouth to answer when I see behind the nun's head. On the back wall, facing the tables is a statue. The figure has its arms outstretched as if to embrace those before it. A simple toga frames their body, a hood hiding the face, and large angel wings billow out behind the figure. My eyes go wide before my face contorts into a visage of pain and rage. The immense feeling of hate that wells up within me clears away the fog that has been clinging to my mind. _**BEING X.**_

**APRIL 18, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, IMPERIAL ARMY NORTHERN MILITARY DISTRICT, SALAMANDER KAMPFGRUPPE GARRISON**

After a brutal battle with both General Winter and the Federation troops along the Eastern Front, we were reassigned to the Imperial capital in January and I had the naive hope that the Salamander Kampfgruppe would be allowed some much needed, and earned, rest and relaxation at Berun. To be fair we were technically allowed a few months, granting our tanks and artillery the time to be repaired after their harsh treatment in the freezing temperatures and endless snow. While the troops were allowed a bit of rest I continued to write papers on the effectiveness and shortcomings of my new combat group discovered on the eastern front. It felt like the frost had only just thawed from my creaking bones when we began receiving news of the commonwealth conducting recon in force at both former Entente Alliance and Republic territory, as well as Colonel von Rerugen's worrying news of our "allies" troop movement in the Kingdom of Ildoa. It seemed that even with the general staff beginning to find allies in the minorities of the Federation, trouble still found its way to the Empire.

But of course I know the real puppet master of this conflict, and he wouldn't allow it to end until I bend the knee. I hope Being X bought a coat because it will be a cold day in hell before that happens. So I have to keep suffering through this waste of human resources while staying in the General Staff's good graces. The next assignment they gave the Salamander Kampfgruppe may seem like a safe and easy one at first glance, but hunting for insurgents hiding out in former Entente Alliance territory sounded like a thankless job where we would never be sure of who was friend and foe. On the inside I was vehemently against such a high risk low reward mission, but you don't tell the General Staff you "can't" or "won't" do something when you have made your entire career out of doing the impossible. It would be like asking for a one way ticket back to the worst fighting in the front lines.

I was sitting in my temporary command, looking over a map of the area we would soon be entering while trying to enjoy the sludge that even Visha's mystical skills couldn't transform into something that would be considered coffee, when the girl herself rushed in waving a communication in the air. Something that could make the war maniac that I had personally trained since the beginning of the war panic was a major cause for concern to me. I wouldn't show the panic, of course, calmly taking the packet from her while she gasped out, "Colonel! Emergency communications from Berun."

I read over the words slowly before the mug I was holding slipped out of my hands and crashed to the ground.

"It's over," I began muttering, hand on my face. A light chuckle managing to escape my lips before I could stop it.

"Ma'am?"

The worst possible news had finally made itself known. Even after holding off the small winter offensive, all signs showed that the Federation was beginning mobilization for a spring offensive. Worse yet, it was being coordinated with tactical landings in the Northern Republic as well as the Western Entente Alliance. It appears as though my worst fear since this war began has finally been realized, the unified states had joined the war. I wanted to cry; everything I had accomplished, all the commendations, all the connections built, it would all crumble to nothing. The war hero of a winning nation becomes the sacrificial lamb of a losing nation. You don't become a symbol of pride and propaganda in the Empire then expect to get off scot free when they lose. No, I would be sacrificed to all the people that hate the Empire for this war. I have already seen the true face of humanity, from my first life when I was pushed into a train, and throughout this war. Logic, such as me just doing my job, or that I always followed the rules of war wouldn't matter to them. All they would see is my ace of aces reputation and silver wings assault badge, things that brought me respect and admiration in the Empire, and would hate me for them, seeing me as the blame for every person lost during the war. Well… I refuse to go out like that.

"Tell the men to prepare to move out. Get ready and then gather everyone for an official briefing in an hour's time."

Viktoriya gave a crisp salute then headed out to follow my directions. It still amazes me how much she has grown from when I first saw her. Just another example of how much you can gain by investing in human capital instead of flinging them at each other in wasteful war. In exactly an hour I found myself standing atop a raised platform looking over my 203rd mage battalion; all of them standing in perfect formation in front of my newest charges in the Salamander Kampfgruppe. Men and women baptized in blood and gunpowder, standing without fear in the face of the next unknown mission, complete faith in their own ability and mine.

"The beginning of the end of the war is upon us." I can hear mutters of confusion, and I can see even the 203rd, for all their discipline, twitch in surprise.

"As I speak, simultaneous attacks are hitting all sides of the fatherland." At this I hear exclamations, and the 203rd begin leaning forward in anticipation.

"In the east, the Federation has materialized more men to begin a spring offensive. To the south, our _allies_, the Kingdom of Ildoa has begun marching toward the capitol." I don't even attempt to mask my disgust at this betrayal.

"In the Northern Republic and Eastern Entente Alliance, combined units of the Commonwealth and the Unified States are landing en masse on the beaches." At this point, uncertainty and doubt has spread the troops, and I can see the looks of concern even my most veteran men are giving me.

"The people of the fatherland are now faced with a choice!" Everyone stills and becomes silent as I raise my voice.

"The first, to throw up the white flag, sit down, give up on everything we have fought and died for, and wait for the inevitable while hoping for the mercy of our enemies." I see the moment their doubt and fear switches to anger, growls and even intermittent shouts coming from the crowd.

"The second!" silence returns, "Is to stand tall, raise the black flag, and push these bastards back out of our country!" A deafening roar spills from the entire group. It reminds me less of a war cry, and more of the defiant roar of a cornered animal.

"It's time to sortie! We march north to meet these invaders that dare to defile our country! Back to where this war all began. Prepare to move out!"

**JUNE 24, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, BORDER OF IMPERIAL NORDEN AND FORMER ENTENTE ALLIANCE**

Flying over these skies, where this entire fiasco began, is leaving me nostalgic as I look through the trees for signs of the enemy forces. I could almost hear Being X chuckle to himself as my life seems to have come full circle in four years. The battle itself started well. The infantry was entrenched and we were able to start shelling their infantry as soon as they were in range. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of the 203rd were able to hold off the Unified State and Commonwealth mages by keeping the altitude advantage and using their superior optical decoys. I was almost ready to believe that the enemy had spread out their troops on so many landing zones that we might be able to at least hold them here. That hope was quickly dashed, however, when SHE came into sight of my binoculars. The same girl that has been chasing me around with wild abandon since the Moskva raid. I can only assume she is another pawn of Being X with her huge magic reserves and intense single minded attacks on me whenever she sees me.

As it was she must not know where I am as I watch her fly toward the second battalion. At the thought of this Being X puppet using his powers to ruin this fight my stomach fills with a boiling anger. I'll fight him personally any time he wants, but I won't let him kill MY MEN.

"Oh Lord…"

"...give me the strength to protect your flock, and punish those that would defy them."

Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov had been with Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff longer than anyone else. They fought together on every front and rose through the ranks together. You could say that everything Viktoriya has become was directly thanks to Tanya's tutelage. Tanya's trust in her went so far as to allow her command of the entire battalion whenever she went off on her own. The battalion knew that the Lieutenant Colonel was a force on her own. Her skills as a commander and her belief in everyone improving and getting the opportunity to prove themselves were the only things that kept her from going all out in every battle we fight from the start. These traits allowed her to train the 203rd into the greatest mage force, on both the individual and group levels, the world had ever seen. The warning of when she would go all out was when the entire battalion would hear her pray over the open channel, as if to tell the entire enemy force that God is on our side, so she was unafraid.

It was an awe inspiring sight to watch the Lieutenant Colonel create shockwaves when she propels herself to unearthly speeds. Viktoriya had watched Tanya single handedly take out multiple platoons of enemy mages since their first time together on the Rhine front. When she flew straight toward only a single enemy it left her momentarily perplexed. That is, until Viktoriya saw the mage in question. She wouldn't forget the enemy that shot optical lance spells over a battlefield like they were simple penetration spells. The last time she had let Tanya face that mage on her own she had to help the Lieutenant Colonel fly back to Empire territory.

As soon as the enemy mage caught sight of Tanya, she abruptly changed course from 2nd company and chased the Colonel with all the zeal of a fanatic. To call Tanya a prodigy in mage combat would be a gross understatement. To Viktoriya and the rest of the 203rd (as well as most of the enemies that saw her) she was nothing less than the chosen of God (or the Devil), sent to defend the fatherland. It was a mesmerizing sight to watch as she flew, not around or over, but straight through the enemy formation of mages. A combination of beauty and grace with deadly efficiency and skill. Constant evasive maneuvers and non-stop Optical Decoys that even the 203rd had trouble differentiating, all happening at speeds once thought impossible.

It took every bit of discipline that was trained into Lieutenant Serebryakov to look away from the godly feats being displayed by those two combatants to rally the disparate companies back together to take advantage of the mass confusion that the Lieutenant Colonel was causing. Tanya's charge through enemy mages and above enemy infantry would seem illogical if it wasn't for the mage chasing her. She seemed to be cursed with the worst tunnel vision of any soldier Viktoriya had seen. Combining that with power that can rival even Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff was a recipe for disaster. The indiscriminate optical lances cut large swaths through the enemies own mages and infantry alike. The earth became littered with sweeping lines of destruction, covered with broken trees and the bodies of men. Between friendly fire and the 203rd the enemy's mage forces were taking heavy losses, while constant bombardment from the Salamander artillery continued on the enemies ground forces.

Even without firing a shot, the constant evasive maneuvers, defensive shields, and optical illusions were starting to take a noticeable toll on the Lieutenant Colonel. The illusions were no longer behaving as naturally and Tanya's movements were both slowing and becoming more erratic. The enemy mage also appeared to be running out of her enormous levels of mana, throwing away her rifle and pulling out a mage blade. The enemy army was in shambles by this point, their living commanders giving declarations of surrender over the open channel. Even as Lieutenant Serebryakov ordered the men to cease fire on the enemy, that mage continued to ignore her own allies. She watched in horror as Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff was tackled by the enemy mage deep behind enemy lines and into the boreal forest.

Viktoriya told the other battalion leaders to take care of the surrendered enemies that were left, in compliance with international treaties, before rushing off into the forest to find Tanya. Layers of pine trees made it hard to make out exactly where they could have landed. Neither was giving off a magic signature to follow and the noises of struggle echoed, making it hard to pinpoint a source of the inhuman yelling. Breaking through a small clearing allowed Viktoriya to see the back of the enemy mage, blocking her view of the Lieutenant Colonel. A single gunshot echoed and Viktoriya watched in stunned silence as the enemy mage's head snapped back toward her. The body collapsed to the ground, revealing Tanya von Degurechaff pointing a pistol to the spot where the body once was. Viktoriya was frozen in shock, before she dashed toward a collapsing Tanya.

At first I felt nothing; only a slight pleasure at ridding Being X of one of his pawns. Maybe that was too petty. I doubt this girl had the knowledge she was being used by a so-called god. Just another person with unknown potential wasted in this damn war. I suddenly found myself collapsed against a tree. An intense burning pain radiated from my chest. Looking down, I could see the mage blade lodged firmly between my ribs. Coughing, blood spilled down my lips. _So this is how I die, drowned in my own blood. _A sudden presence came to my side; forcing my head up, I could barely make out the visage of my loyal adjutant. She was saying something, but the ringing in my ears made it hard to make out. Between the magical exhaustion and this stab wound I'm surprised I haven't passed out already.

"Stay awake, Lieutenant Colonel, we can get you to a medic." Ah, she still has the naive hope that I can be saved. I suppose this is the attachment that can only be born when two people have been together for so long in battle.

"Lieutenant Serebryakov..."

"Don't try to speak, we need to stop the bleeding." I managed to reach out through the pain to grip her hand and pull it away from the wound.

"Visha, listen to me…" more coughing, blood, spikes of pain. "Blood in my lung...won't last much longer...didn't pick anyone in the 203rd for their medical formulas." It was getting harder to keep hold of Viktoriya's hand, but I held on to it for dear life.

"Of all the things I've done in this world...seeing your potential and helping you reach it has been my greatest accomplishment. You were the first person that felt like family to me. Tell the rest of the 203rd...that you were all a precious family to me." I could feel the tears streaming down my face as the feeling slowly started to leave my extremities; blackness was creeping at the edges of my vision.

"Promise me… you'll survive this war Visha. You have so much to give this world. I'm so proud of you." The last thing I saw and my vision turned black was the rest of the 203rd landing in the clearing. The only thing following me into the darkness, were the sobs of my battle sister as she cried out my name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"So this is the infamous Atheist." My eyes shoot open at the sound of a voice and I instinctively reach to my side to feel my wound. Nothing. No pain at all; no feeling at all, in fact. My body feels disconnected from the world around me. Looking up, I was in the same clearing I had just been stabbed in, with no signs of battle, no enemy mage, and no Viktoriya. Where did that voice…

"You did quite the number on my world you know." I couldn't hold in my gasp of surprise as a feminine face appeared directly in front of me. Silver eyes pierced my blue ones. Viktoriya told me I had an intimidating stare, but I think it would have nothing on the one that was piercing me right now. The figure's face softened, and as she stood a force lifted me up onto my feet. The being before me stood a few heads taller than me (not that I was envious) with well-defined muscles framed by a short himation, that worked to accentuate her feminine figure, rather than distract from it. Bronze armor was attached to her forearms and legs, a bronze helm framed her face, with golden hair spilling out over a round shield strapped to her back. A simple spear being held loosely in her right hand. Wait, did she say _her_ world? Is this _another_ self-proclaimed god come to lecture me?

"All this time and still not a single scrap of faith in your creator." My confusion was washed away in a torrent of hate. I know this voice. Sure enough, walking from behind this new woman is Being X himself. The large white beard, muscled physique, and white robe; he still looked like he walked straight out of a Michelangelo painting.

"When… _Being X," even_ as the new being chuckled at the word, Being X himself scowled, "demanded the use of my world for his little experiment, I almost refused. But he is right, many worlds steadily move toward atheism and lose their connection to others as time moves forward. So I agreed to it. But who could have expected the splash you would have."

When you give someone super powered cursed artifacts then throw crazy powerful enemy mages at them I wonder about the "infinite wisdom and foresight" of these beings. "Ah yes, poor Mary. One person was never meant to take on so many blessings." So they're overloaded with work, and have poor department communication. Color me surprised that they are having so much trouble keeping faith. They also seem to have no qualms about intruding on my thoughts again.

"This experiment may not have given _you_ any faith, lost lamb, but that doesn't mean it was a failure." My hackles raised as Being X gave me a nauseatingly smug and self-satisfied look. "Anyone that met you or Mary on the battlefield showed a fervent increase in faith. Whether they called you the apostles of God or the Devil, faith followed you. It's not just conflict that raises faith, but standing in the face of a seemingly unconquerable foe, or insurmountable ally. Struggle breeds faith." I can already see how these brash conclusions are going to cause problems for people in the future.

"You won't have to worry about that of course. Remember our deal? No second reincarnation after this death." Deal? DEAL? There was no deal. No signed contract, no negotiation, no agreements. To call this a deal would be spitting on every contract ever written!

"Now now, let us not be too hasty," I made sure not to flinch as the new being walked toward me and cupped my cheek affectionately, "I've taken quite a liking to our little Argent. Single handedly revolutionizing combat tactics of a force you had never seen before has impressed me." A shiver goes up my back involuntarily. Having the interest of another of these beings, even if it was positive, could only bring more trouble. "I think I'll take over shepherding out little lamb."

"You can't do that!" The sight of Being X throwing a tantrum would normally bring me a bit of satisfaction, but not when it was about the fate of _my _soul. It seems the more you have the attention of these things the less "free will" actually matters.

"It sounded to me like you were throwing away this poor soul. I'm just picking up an abandoned stray." So now I'm nothing more than an abandoned dog? "Don't worry my little owl, I'll make sure to guide you along the path you were meant to lead. This life was just a glimpse of your potential, you still have so much more to show."

"Don't for a second think I'll let this slight be forgotten."

"After all the problems you have brought in MY jurisdiction, I think it is only fair that I am allowed to play around in yours a bit." She turned back to me. "I think it's time I send you back to your original universe. Don't worry about him. It's about time the gods went back to having a bit more of a...personal touch with our Champions. Know that as long as you walk my path, Athena will watch over you."

Those words were the last I heard echoing around me as darkness engulfed me again.

**JANUARY 18, COUNCIL ERA 2167, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF NEW STAVANGER, MINDOIR**

_How did I end up between the pissing contest of two self-proclaimed gods! _"Titania dear, are you okay?" I forcibly bring my face back to a neutral position before looking away from the statue. The chatter that surrounded the table has stopped and everyone seemed to be watching me.

"I'm not feeling well, Mother Elizabeth, may I go lay down?"

"Of course dear, let me take you to your bed. Michael, please take care of Tania's bowl for her."

"Yes Mother," the boy smiled at me, "and I hope you feel better Tania." I gave him a tight smile and nod as I stood and followed the Mother to the girls shared dormitory. Memories of this new life are at the edge of my thoughts. Just like my second life it appears they are coming back at three years old. 2167… 134 years have passed since I was last in this version of the universe. I'm not even on earth! I might chalk this up to the incompetence of Beings that were able to move between time and space but I've experienced too much of Being X and his specially planned vindictiveness to think this isn't planned in some way. Whether it is him planning something horrible for defying him or "Athena" and her plan to make me "see my potential" or "walk her path" has yet to be seen. One thing was guaranteed, though, no war is won without information, and I need to find out what happened in the century since I've been gone.

"Mother Elizabeth," I lightly tugged at her habit and waited for her to look down at me. I make my eyes go as big as possible while quivering my lower lip in the same way Viktoriya did when she wanted one of the 203rd to share some food with her. If I was going to have this cherubic face I might as well use it to its full advantage. "The stories you tell us at night are so interesting. I wonder if you can teach me to read so I can read some of them myself."

"Hm." She raised a hand to her chin. "It is a bit earlier than usual but I suppose you did begin speaking much earlier than most children I've taught. If you're feeling better, we can start tomorrow during free time."

At this point I've learned both Japanese and German in my previous lives. It appears my unconscious mind has managed to learn English past the simple high school classes I had in my first life. With two written languages under my belt, one being of western origin, it should be simple for me to learn how to read and write in English. If other languages are even spoken in this future. I will need to learn how writing imperial is different than writing German with the alphabet. I remember that the common room has a few extranet terminals. Even in an orphanage on a farming planet they know the importance of connecting to the world. I can't remember being hungry at any point either. Hopefully that means I'm getting correct nutrition and will actually grow to a reasonable height...not that it bothered me.

**FEBRUARY 10, COUNCIL ERA 2167, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF NEW STAVANGER, MINDOIR**

Compared to my body in my second life, Athena seems to have done very little to change me. Only my previously blue eyes are now grey, matching the silver that she showed me before. My new full name in this world is Titania Noctua, and besides sounding like an edgy shonen protagonist it also seems to have a lot of meaning to Athena herself. Titania is both the "queen of fairies" (whether that is a joke at my expense or a compliment is yet to be seen) and has the meaning of "giant" and "great one" in Greek. After only the most cursory of research on Athena herself I came to find that her owl has the actual name of little owl, with a scientific name of Athene noctua. Between these eyes and this name she might as well have given me a property of Athena tattoo across my forehead. I suppose I could change it, but that involves annoying legal processes. Besides, names have meaning; those given to you by others especially. Tanya von Degurechaff became known as the Argent to allies and the Devil of the Rhine to enemies. Titles have power, and owning them will lead to infinitely more possibilities than trying to fight them.

As I suspected, it didn't take me long to learn to read and write in English. Normally I might try to hide my advanced development, but with Being X and Athena playing with the world around me I have no time to waste. Being isolated as a child prodigy is preferable to wasting even a minute when I could be finding out about this new universe I find myself in. I managed to convince the nun's that take care of the younger children and to allow me to study on my own; and while I could tell they had reservations about it, they didn't really have the time to teach me alone, either. Not with all the other children of a huge variety of learning levels. So I spend my free time on an extranet terminal, away from the others discovering more about what I've missed.

I've already learned a lot, such as the third of Clarke's Laws, which states "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". Stated a different way some have said that "Any sufficiently studied magic is indistinguishable from science". This is how clockwork magic was treated in my last life, from superstitious and unknowable to a scientific arms race that involved every major power in the world. The budding new science of this humanity is the use of biotics, but unlike mana in mages, which was still unknown as to how it was gained in humans, but known as how to manipulate it, it is known how biotics are gained but hardly known how to use it. Element Zero exposure has a chance to either give a person horrible cancer like mutations or, if they are extremely lucky, the ability to manipulate dark energy.

The discovery of refined element zero on mars in 2147 CE pushed human technology hundreds of years forward. When an electrical current passes through it a mass effect field is created. Positive charged currents will increase mass and negative charged ones will decrease it. These fields would finally unlock the long out of reach faster than light travel and allow humanity to explore the Sol System in earnest. Two years later Pluto's moon, Charon, was discovered to be a mass relay. A still barely known technology that connects to other mass relays through large, nearly mass-free "corridors" of time space. Ships could travel light years of distance between solar systems in an instant. Humanity was finally knocking against the 4th dimension. Of course, humanity had no idea what was beyond the relays, but since when had that stopped humanity from sailing ships into the unknown before?

This led to the inevitable discovery of other alien races and the so called First Contact War. I'm surprised Being X didn't get me involved in that somehow. I can only imagine he has something even MORE exciting planned for me in the future. While the discovery of all these alien races did help advance technology even more, it didn't explain anything about the mass relays. Another fun little variation of Clarke's third law was proposed by Michael Shermer who stated "Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God". These mass relays being attributed to some unknown race called the Protheans gives me the uncomfortable feeling of being connected to Being X and his cohorts somehow. As much as I don't trust these unknown things, there's no way I could somehow influence thousands of years of use by aliens to stop and study them maybe a little bit harder because of some three year old humans hunch.

Superstring theory posits that there are ten dimensions that mortals can comprehend. Being stuck in the third dimension ourselves, many humans find it hard to imagine what higher dimensional beings would be like, but I've seen them myself. Being able to fling my soul around time and different possible universes would make the so called gods at least eight dimensional. You may think that being able to see the possible futures of an almost infinite amount of earth would make them somehow smarter than your average 3rd dimensional creature, but no. The opposite seems to be true. They are just as petulant and shortsighted as any "mortal'' below them. The only difference is they get to act like the CEO of a company that plays with the lives of those below them without a care in the world. I imagine faith that Being X is so worried about is a resource that is somehow used in these higher dimensions. But enough contemplation on them, before I can find a way to interact with other dimensional beings I need to gain as much power as I can here, and that all starts with learning more about this dimension.

**xxx**

"I don't see why you're pouting. We both know you brought this on yourself." Jane Shepard most certainly did NOT pout.

"I just don't see why I have to spend the ENTIRE winter break helping out a random orphanage."

"Saint Annabeth's is the largest convent and church on Mindoir!"

"Psh. It's the 22nd century dad, how many people actually go to church anymore?"

"You'd be surprised. Something about how large the galaxy still is, even with mass effect travel, has a way of inspiring awe in people. Besides, whether you believe or not, those Nuns are doing good taking care of all those kids. Maybe seeing how selfless they are will rub off on you before you go to high school."

"It was only a few pranks!"

"If I knew teaching you how to use that omni-tool would lead to you getting detention every week I would have saved myself the headache."

"All the help I've given you on the farming equipment must even it out a little bit. Besides, I don't get why they have to get so caught up on small jokes."

"You call having a drone following around your Principle periodically blasting music or having all the doors in the school only open enough for people to barely squeeze through small?"

"Okay, maybe not small, but definitely funny! Besides, it's not like anyone got hurt."

"No one getting hurt is the only reason you haven't been expelled and I haven't come down harder on this behavior. You can't keep messing with authority figures and not expect to get punished. Especially when you keep pushing your luck. Society has rules for a reason. Now put that pout away, we're here." The truck pulled up to a surprisingly large group of buildings. Jane guessed you needed all that room when most of the nuns and orphans lived there all the time. The buildings themselves were much different than the average prefabs you could find in the fields on the outskirts of the capital. Even when made out of the same buildings materials, the higher pitched roofs and occasional bell tower gave them a distinct feel from the rest of the buildings around here.

The entrance reception wasn't that different from what you would see anywhere else, other than the cross hanging behind the receptionist's desk. The young nun behind the desk turned to the Shepards as they walked up and asked how she could help them. "Good morning, I'm Aiden Shepard and I'm here about my daughter helping over winter break."

"Oh! I heard to expect you. Please have a seat and I'll call someone to show you around." A woman who introduced herself as Mother Elizabeth came to show us the complex where Jane would be staying for the week. Behind the reception area was the main church. A large room lined with rows of pews that create a concave around a raised pedestal. A large statue sat in the back of the pedestal, floor to ceiling barrier windows that were made to look like ancient stained glass with depictions of angels and saints. Exiting a door to the right of the pedestal led them out into a beautiful courtyard with tree lined paths surrounded by buildings. An older group of kids were together outside doing various activities.

"Well, this will be as far as I go. Make sure you are on your best behavior firecracker. If I hear about you causing problems I will have to take more drastic measures with your punishment in the future."

"Don't worry Mr. Shepard, we know how to take care of unruly children. We have plenty of experience."

"I'll put my trust in you then." After a quick kiss to the cheek and a small huff from Jane he began returning to the front. Just before he opened the door back to the church, he turned around and called out, "Don't forget, your mother is going to be calling tonight, make sure your omni-tool is close by."

"You know I don't go anywhere without it. I'll talk to you after I settle in for the night." With that final farewell he left and Mother Elizabeth began showing her the rest of the compound. To the left was the building where the nuns and other staff lived and worked. To the right was the orphanage with separate dorms, where Jane dropped off her bag in an open bunk and would be sleeping with the other girls. Lastly, straight across from the church, was the community area that had the kitchen, canteen, library, and other gathering areas. It was in the library that the elementary and younger kids were working at the moment, and the first place Jane would meet the people she would be helping with for the next week.

The library itself was simple enough. Three long tables with terminals that accessed the Alliance's freely available collection of books. A few smaller tables had extranet terminals and in the very back of the room was an open floor area, where you could lay on small bags or sit on couches. Against the back wall was a large window that allowed natural light to spread through the entire room. The most surprising part was the small shelves underneath the windows that had genuine paper books! In the room was the seventeen children that made up the youngest group of orphans. Six pre-elementary students were sitting on the carpeted floor in the back, surrounding another nun. She had one of the paper books out while the rest of them held tablets and she was reading slowly to them, most likely learning to read. At one of the tables she could see nine elementary level students working on tablets. Doing math problems according to Mother Elizabeth.

The person who interested Jane the most, however, was the youngest looking girl, who sat alone at an extranet terminal. Short platinum blonde hair framed her round face, but the most interesting part were her grey eyes that bore into the screen with an intensity Jane had never seen in someone so young. When Jane asked Mother Elizabeth about her she sighed. "That is Titania Noctua. She was dropped off with a note that only had her name three years ago. While not completely uncommon on more urbanized planets, Tania is the first to be abandoned like that for us. The poor girl learns so fast that she has started passing even some of the oldest students here. Sister Anne and I worry that she will have problems socializing in the future, but with so many children that need our attention we are having trouble finding the time to get her to socialize more."

"Well, that sounds more interesting than helping with elementary math. Can I go speak to her?"

"Of course, I would welcome it if you could get her to open up a bit more. But do remember, no matter how smart she is, Tania is still a child and is very impressionable. Make sure you don't pass on any of your trouble making habits to her."

"That takes the fun out of it, but sure, I'll make sure just to talk to her." Jane shrugged and ignored the warning look Mother Elizabeth threw at her as she made her way toward this Titania. Deciding to see what she was reading, Jane made sure to be as quiet as possible when approaching Tania. Glancing over Tania's shoulder, Jane was surprised at the title of the paper she was reading: "A brief history on the First Contact War and its Repercussions on Human-Turian Relations in the Years Following." There's a large gap between "advanced for her age" and reading college papers at three years old.

"Is there any reason you are reading over my shoulder?" Jane jumped at the small voice in front of her. Looking from the words to Tania's reflection on the screen, she can see Tania's eyes giving her a cold and calculated look, causing a shiver to climb up her spine. "You're too old to be a new orphan in this group and you aren't wearing a habit, so you can't be a new nun."

"Er, actually I'm a volunteer. I'm supposed to be helping the nuns over winter break while you guys don't have school."

"You seem a little young to be volunteering on your break. And I see nothing overtly religious on your person, so I find it strange you would volunteer at a nunnery." It is a surreal experience being on the back foot when talking to someone that barely reaches her stomach in height.

"Well, it's more like I'm being voluntold. In trouble at school and all that."

"In trouble? Bad grades?"

"No! I'm top of my class I'll have you know. It was only a few pranks."

"A few pranks wouldn't necessitate this harsh a punishment, so you're either understating it or punishments have changed quite a bit since before."

"Before?"

"Nevermind."

"Okay...so maybe it was more than a few, and maybe it was against the principal and other teachers." At this, Tania looked away from the article and turned to look directly at Jane.

"So you're one of _those_ people."

"One of what?"

"Someone with too much talent and not enough common sense. Good grades will only carry you so far in the world. To get into the best colleges you will need to show not only grades, but also an agreeable personality, work ethic, and accomplishments to prove why a school should invest in you."

"Actually, I was planning on following my mom and joining the Alliance when I could."

"You plan on joining a military organization where grades mean even less and you already have a precedent for flouting authority. Be prepared for a rude awakening during your first few weeks. I don't know what stories your mother tells you, but the military is a hierarchical machine. The only thing that matters is your rank and your accomplishments. As it is your history leaves you ten steps behind your fellow recruits in the eyes of your superiors. If you were trying to join my squad I would reject you outright." With this, Tania turned back toward the screen and went back to reading.

"Your squad? You sound like you're speaking from experience." But Tania ignored her, and continued looking at the terminal. In a slight daze, Jane returned to where Mother Elizabeth was helping the older students and sat next to her. "I don't think she likes me."

"On the contrary, I haven't seen her speak to anyone for that long in a couple of weeks. I think you may have caught her attention."

"You didn't hear what she said. It was like being lectured by the principle, except it was from a much cuter face."

"Well, I hope you won't give up on her yet. Tania may be prickly but she could really use a peer to talk too to escape from her reading every once in a while. For now why don't you introduce yourself to some of the other students and help them with their math. I'll make sure to give you a more detailed schedule for this week after dinner today."

...

Jane Shepard was left with a surprising amount to think about while waiting for her parents to call. Sitting under a tree in the courtyard, Jane did what she always would when she needed to relax and think; she tinkered with her old omni-tool. She reflected on what happened throughout the day, but her mind would always go back to one girl. Jane made sure to watch Tania throughout the evening, and was surprised just how isolated she seemed to be. During dinner and when preparing to sleep she kept her distance from the others. Tania was never rude, making sure to answer any questions that went her way politely, and even helping with the cleanup of the dishes. At the same time, she was very...detached from those around her, almost like she spent all of her time in her own head. It was an odd reality for someone like Jane, who was quick to befriend, and spent most of her time socializing with her classmates (even when she technically wasn't supposed to be). A vibration on her wrist broke her out of her reverie. Looking down, an orange circle floating over her palm showed that her parents were finally calling.

Accepting the call, a screen with both of Jane's parents appears over her forearm. In the left box stood Lieutenant Commander Hannah Shepard, back straight with hands behind her back. Her dark royal blue uniform with gold trimming was immaculately pressed and her blonde hair was tucked into a perfect bun behind her hat. A thin bar between two thicker bars across the shoulders denoted her rank, with the Alliance Navy Logo on the right breast. Small crow's feet at the corner of her eyes were the only give away of her slightly older age. Jane may have inherited her father's red hair and slight freckles, but in every other instance she was a spitting image of Hannah Shepard. Standing at six feet tall, with perfect posture, and an unreadable look in her green eyes, Hannah struck the imposing figure of an alliance officer. Jane sat up a bit straighter just looking at her image. Even her father's easy smile on the other screen couldn't help Jane's slight hesitation from her mother's pointed look.

"I don't get in range for a call for two weeks and the first thing your father tells me is that you've managed to get into enough trouble that you have a week long special punishment. Want to explain yourself?" The disappointment in her mother's eyes and voice made Jane want to curl in on herself, but she fought against that instinct and instead puffed out her chest in defiance.

"They were just a few harmless pranks, I think everyone is overreacting."

"Jane Shepard, these excuses are unbecoming. You'll be entering high school soon enough, so why are you trying to sabotage your future before it's even begun?"

"You sound just like Tania."

"Who?"

"One of the orphans I'm going to be helping this week."

"She sounds sensible enough...You know, your father and I bought that house on Mindoir because we thought a life of constantly moving would be too much of a burden growing up. We've been talking; if you don't enjoy it on planet, there are programs for families on star ships. I've heard good things about the high school spacer program and your father can reenlist."

"It's not that I don't enjoy it here. I love my friends, and working on the farm is fun. It's just school that feels like it lasts forever and we never learn anything useful!" Hannah's face scrunched slightly, and just as she opened her mouth to admonish Jane, Aiden spoke up.

"You would be surprised firecracker. A lot of things in the universe are connected in ways you would never think of. What may seem useless now will be important in the future. If you don't feel like school is challenging enough I can always work on programs for your omni-tool for you to work on. As long as you complete your other work first and don't distract your friends, I'm sure we can convince your teachers to let you work on things you enjoy." Jane contemplated that, and thought back to her conversation with Tania.

"It does sound better. I'm sure I could learn more from that then messing with the meager school security." Aiden broke out in a boisterous laugh, and even Hannah couldn't hide a fond smile.

"Well...While I am glad you have a plan for after the break, for now you need to finish your punishment. I expect you to work your hardest while you're there. This can be a good opportunity for you to expand your worldview a bit. Make sure to learn from everyone there, even when you help teach; that Tania sounds like a sensible girl, maybe start with her." Jane didn't know how she felt about learning from someone ten years younger than her. "Now, it's already late for you guys and I have a bit more work to do. The ship should be within communication range the whole week, so we should be able to get more opportunities to talk in person. I love you both, goodnight."

"Goodnight firecracker." After saying goodnight herself, Jane closed the connection. While walking back to the dorm, Jane thought about what she would be doing for the rest of the week. One thing she knew for sure, she would make sure to talk to Tania again.


End file.
